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Welcome to the first of the author updates this week. As I was posting Christmas promotions for authors from mid-November I am going to be sharing reviews from that time onwards until we are up to date..

The first author with a recent review is Don Massenzio with his book Extra Innings: Can You Go Home Again?

About the book

Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team. Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past. That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life? Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again? Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.

When I first saw the cover for this book, not being a sports fan, I nearly passed on it. But when I read the blurb and saw it was about time travel, it became a must-read for me. I immediately wanted to root for Joe. With a failed marriage, a thankless, dead-end job, and not much to go home to at night, the guy deserves some happiness. Upon realizing the seat he purchased from a baseball stadium that held wonderful memories for him is a time machine, endless possibilities are at his fingertips. If you could travel back in time, what would you change about your life? Anything? Would those changes have unexpected ripple effects? Joe encounters several surprises along the way, and I laughed out loud at some situations he found himself in. Extra Innings is a fabulous, enjoyable story with several layers to include family drama, organized crime, and corporate mergers, and I was captivated throughout. The ending isn’t something I expected, but will leave you thinking about it for days after.

The next author is Marcia Meara – The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody. A Paranormal Fantasy.

About the Novella

In Marcia Meara’s second installment of The Emissary Trilogy, a Riverbend spinoff series of novellas, we find our three heroes at it again. Beautiful new places, exciting new adventures, and a whole assortment of new problems await them, bringing tears, laughter, and an extraordinary amount of love along with them.

Trouble never does a head count before showing up …They’re back!

Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again.

They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It?

One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?

I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Book 1 where we were introduced to Jake who is chosen by the Archangel Azreal to become an emissary to go back to earth and help people in need as well as help to steer them in the right direction. We also met Dodger, a younger man who was also taken under the angel’s wings to be groomed as Jake’s assistant emissary.

This story follows the relationship that blooms between Jake and Dodger as they continue doing their good deeds while still in training by Azrael on how to become fully experienced new angel assistants. It’s a beautiful story about goodness, and heartwarming to read as Jake becomes father-like to Dodger as time passes, filling the void for both with love and compassion for one another, especially Dodger who never knew love from his own father when he was alive.

Meara does a wonderful job with all three of these characters, engaging us into the story and filling our hearts with compassion for these same characters. Even as emissaries, Jake and Dodger live as humans and can still feel pain, despite the fact they can’t die again. This is a novella so I recommend reading Book 1 to familiarize you with the characters, you won’t be disappointed.

Now for some Science Fiction/Fantasy from Teri Polen with The Gemini Connection which has received a recent review.

About The Gemini Connection.

Teen twin brothers Evan and Simon Resnik are fiercely loyal to each other and share an unusual bond—they experience each other’s emotions as their own and can sense where the other is. On their dying planet of Tage, scientists work tirelessly on its survival. Like the twins’ parents, Simon is a science prodigy, recruited at a young age to work with the brilliant creator of Scientific Innovations. To the bitter disappointment of their parents, Evan shows no aptitude or interest in science. As a Mindbender, he travels into the minds of scientists to locate buried memories, connect ideas and concepts, and battle recurring nightmares.

When Simon mysteriously disappears, Evan is plunged into a world of loss and unbearable guilt. For the first time, he can’t ‘feel’ Simon—it’s like he no longer exists. Evan blames himself. No one knows that he ignored his brother’s pleas for help on the night he went missing. A year later, Simon is still gone. Evan lost his twin, but Tage might have lost its last hope of survival when it’s discovered that Simon’s unfinished project could be its salvation. Evan is determined to find him—somewhere—and bring Simon home. Their unusual connection might be more extraordinary than they know, and the key to locating Simon.

I was up almost all night finishing this one, which really had me spellbound with the intensity, action, and compelling storyline as well as characters that were so believable. There was a lot here that I didn’t expect, which really kept me on the edge of my seat as this science fiction thriller unfolded.

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About Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

My name is Sally Cronin and I am doing what I love.. Writing. Books, short stories, Haiku and blog posts. My previous jobs are only relevant in as much as they have gifted me with a wonderful filing cabinet of memories and experiences which are very useful when putting pen to paper. I move between non-fiction health books and posts and fairy stories, romance and humour. I love variety which is why I called my blog Smorgasbord Invitation and you will find a wide range of subjects. You can find the whole story here.
Find out more at https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/about-me/

Reblogged this on The Write Stuff and commented:
So happy to start the New Year as part of Sally Cronin’s Author Update & Reviews series. I was tickled to find DGKaye’s review of my second Emissary novella, To Love Somebody, featured alongside the work (and reviews) of Don Massenzio and Teri Polen. Hope you’ll check this post out! (And I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t hurt any of our feelings if you shared it far and wide, too.) Thanks! 😀 ❤

Sally, what a great way to start ANY Monday, but especially my first one back to work after the holidays. I’m considering this lovely post as a sign 2019 is going to be a super one for all of us. And I love being featured alongside Don and Teri, too. Thank you so much, for this and ALL you do to support your fellow writers. At the risk of sounding extremely repetitive, YOU ROCK! (Hey, some things are worth saying again and again! 😀 )

Reblogged this on Books and Such and commented:
This sure brightened my dreary Monday a couple of days ago – what a wonderful surprise! Not only did Sally feature a recent review of The Gemini Connection, but also my review of Don Massenzio’s Extra Innings: Can You Go Home Again? Marcia Meara’s (in my TBR) Riverbend spinoff novella is also included. Sally is such a generous blogger, and features indie authors regularly. Make sure to check out her books while you’re there, including her most recent release, Tales From the Irish Garden!

Nice to see all these talented authors here, Sal. I have most of these books on my extensive TBR list! Looking forward to reading them all in time. Congrats to all. Hugs to you Sally, and all my fellow author friends here. 😘